Happy Independence Day!

The above photograph is of the Independence Day celebration in my locality. The building display board contained a message of Flag hosting sharp at 8.30am, I read this message a day before & made it a point to be down at the venue to witness & be a part of India celebrating its 60th Birthday on 15th August 2007.
The air was feeling fresh, the soft breeze blowing & bringing in waves of patriotic songs played in the loud speaker. The children holding ‘triranga’ in their hands running all around, the happy faces to see all over the place.
Then when we were standing still & singing the national anthem, a tiny tot asked me, “Why do we celebrate Independence day?” After the Jai Hai, Jai Hai.. I was quick to respond “We celebrate our freedom today, dear”
“Freedom…?” that was more of an enquiry from the tot than really knowing the meaning of freedom & its celebration. I realized that these kids who are born in free India to the parents who are also born in free India can hardly understand what really meant to have freedom & what really was sacrificed to achieve this.
I was lucky enough to have parents who were born before 1947 & had been a part & witnessed freedom struggle in their lives. As the snacks being served & the gathering became more crowded, I cornered myself to a place were I could get a glimpse of the National flag which was flying high more proudly. There was sense of proud within me; my throat was choked with emotions, a nostalgic feeling entered. I recalled my parents narrating me few of the incidents during those days when the REAL freedom struggle was going on. My grandfather was a Tahsildaar during the British Regime; he was posted at Wardha and later at Raipur. My father could not hold his emotions when he told us “though the job holds a high profile cadre & faithfulness towards British monopoly, his father did not leave any opportunity to help the freedom fighters. Wardha being the core center and freedom fighters coming here from far was given shelter & food by him. He did not fear the British & had guts even to go against them at times while participating into freedom struggle”. He soon bought few books gifted to him by my grandfather who was very learned & said “wish he lived more to serve his nation he loved so much”. My grandfather had an untimely death just when India was celebrating its first anniversary of Independence.
My parents witnessed the bloodshed, the trains coming with blood & dead bodies, the people leaving their homes, the fear and even death…. I could not think more and forced myself to come out all of that dreaded memories...
Its difficult to realize how much each & every person present in that era must had sacrificed to give us this freedom and an Independent nation that we proudly have today. I salute to all those unsung heroes who the history fails to remember but they were there to make it.
Independent, Sovereign, Democratic, Republic of India has guaranteed to all its citizens of freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship, action, justice and equality before law etc. Let us friend now be ‘civilized’ enough to give back our motherland a small token of love & remove the problems mostly arising along the lines of religion, caste, class, gender, language and region. Come on friends, we sure can do this!
And then only we can flourish as a free spirit and India can hope for glory…….the true dream of all our freedom fighters!
LOVE YOU INDIA!